While the Gunners have won nothing under Arsene Wenger since 2005, Roman Abramovich’s club have won the Champions League, the Europa League, the Premier League and two FA Cups since Mourinho left in 2007.

The hire-and-fire culture has proved more successful than steadiness and security.

But Mourinho, who won two Premier League titles during his first Chelsea reign, said: “It depends on the perspective. I think the best way to do it is to do it with stability.”

Wenger, who took over at Arsenal in 1996, is the only manager still at the same club as in 2007 and Mourinho added: “It’s sad because I think a league gets better if we keep the good things and we improve the bad things.

“The league doesn’t get better if we kill the good things, even if we improve some other things. One of the good things is that sense of stability, to let people work without pressure or that sense of non-selfish job, that you have to do it for ‘yourself’.

“That’s something that’s going to finish, and is bad for this league. I hope some of us, we can show good work that keeps us for many years in the same club.

“This is something that, culturally, was a brand for the Premier League. We should influence other countries in the same direction, not let them influence us in the wrong way.

“How long can I stay? Realistically I have four years contract remaining. Realistically, I hope at the end of those four years we sit, analyse the situation and that will be the point where we are both - club and me - happy to carry on or happy to separate. Realistically, my desire and my feeling is to work these four years and, after that, analyse the situation.”

But while Mourinho admitted no manager is “untouchable”, he added he hopes to stay at Stamford Bridge for the long-term to build a second dynasty.

“I would say 12 years,” he said. “I’m 51 next month. I’d say 12 years, and to go to a World Cup with a national team. I would prefer the Portuguese national team. England second, yes.”

Repeat performance: Jose is hoping to repeat this season's Capital One Cup win over the Gunners (Photo: Jamie McDonald)

And after famously accusing Wenger of being a “voyeur” back in 2005, the Blues boss says relations have also improved with the Frenchman who he has never lost to in nine meetings.

“He was speaking about Chelsea all the time, always making criticisms and jibes, and the money and this and that - it was too much,” Mourinho said.

“At this moment he’s totally focused on his team and his club. He’s not looking to us. Peacefully, we are living without any kind of problems.

“I don’t know why he stopped and I don’t regret what he said. I’m not friends with him because, to be friends, you need to be close and time to develop that relation, but we have a lot of respect.”

Keeping with the theme of stability, Mourinho insisted he will not buy a new striker in January - or allow Ashley Cole to go out on loan. Even before the England star’s visit to the Arsenal Christmas party, the Chelsea boss was picking Cesar Azpilicueta as left-back - and will continue tonight .